Becton, Dickinson and Company reported its third quarter earnings reached $326 million, an increase of 4.7 percent over the $343 million reported for the same period last year.
Earnings per share were $1.54 compared with $1.47 for the previous third quarter.

The Franklin Lakes-based medical device maker said quarterly revenue amounted to $1.98 billion, fueled by $.1 billion worth of sales of medical devices. For the previous third quarter, the company reported revenue of $1.95 billion.

In April, the company announced it would sell its biosciences discovery labware unit. In the announcement on its quarterly earnings, Becton, Dickinson said it expected the sale to be completed by the end of the year.